Sunday's Meetings Listowel Flat 8 Races 1:35-5:07p.m. Kilbeggan N/H 8 Races 1:50-5:20p.m. Nottingham Flat 7 Races 2:15-5:15p.m. Fakenham N/H 7 Races 2:30-5:30p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
There is an interesting raiding party at Chantilly today, starting with three British raiders in the Listed race at 1:08. The British bookies make Karl Burke’s maiden Dorothy Lawrence a short priced favourite on the strength of her second in the Listed Marygate Stakes at York but she will find the going a little different (reported ‘good to soft’ yesterday, 3.4 on penetrometer). Richard Hannon’s Ziggy’s Phoenix has run all three of her races on easy ground, winning a conditions race at Chester last time while Heed The Call lost her maiden tag with an easy five length win on the kitty litter three weeks ago. Best of the home defence may be Pascal Bary’s course and distance winner Dance Sioux but the French two year old form is impossible to assess having not seen any of the races, so backing any of the raiders would be betting blind. There are no raiders in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly but it does look like a penalty kick for Prix Ganay runner up Simca Mille, trained by Stephane Wattel. That day Iresine reversed Prix d’Harcourt running with him. Fifth in the d’Harcourt was Haya Zark and he looks the obvious one for the forecast rather than Andre Fabre’s Kertez, who seems to save his best for Saint Cloud. The only raider in the Prix de Sandringham (3:50) is the likely favourite, Zarinsk, travelling over from Ireland for Ger Lyons. She won a Group 3 at Leopardstown last time, making all on very soft ground to beat Tarawa. The runner up’s subsequent fourth in the Irish 1000 Guineas gives the form a solid look but she could set the race up for one of the French fillies, such as Andre Fabre’s Calistoga or Fabrice Chappet’s Paz, who were separated by a nose over course and distance in a Listed race a month ago. The most interesting raider on the support card comes in the Prix de Royaumont (4:25), where Aidan O’Brien’s Boogie Woogie, who sidestepped the Oaks, tries to redeem herself after only finishing sixth in the Prix Saint Alary. Ralph Beckett’s Trust The Stars is the other raider and she was well outpointed in the Pretty Polly, more than eight lengths third to Running Lion. That was only her second start and she must be well regarded to be stepping up to a Group 2 over an extra quarter of a mile. So the big race is the Prix Du Jockey Club at 3:05, where Aidan O’Brien fields Continuous, third in the Dante, and the Gosdens send Epictetus, fifth in the Dante and with Frankie travelling over for the ride. Continuous made his seasonal bow that day and had previously won a mile Group 3 race at Saint Cloud while Epictetus had won the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom so was race fit. I am put off chasing my Epictetus York loses because they have fitted first time blinkers – they may do the trick but I will just watch. The favourite will likely be Big Rock, a three time course winning son of Rock Of Gibraltar looking to extend his winning sequence to five. Last time he collected a nine furlong Group 3 from the front, where Padishakh (fourth), Rajapour (sixth) and Flight Leader (seventh and last) were all behind. Prior to that he won the Prix La Force over nine furlongs, beating Padishkh. Of much more interest are Poulains winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi and the fourth that day American Flag. That was a reversal of form from the Prix de Fontainebleau, a race in which Rajapour was third. So will the step up to ten furlongs be what American Flag wants? His dam is a stoutly bred American Post mare and his sire Wootton Bassett has produced some stayers even though he was really just a juvenile sprinter. Andreas Shutz’s Marhaba Ya Sanafi should definitely stay, his dam being a Galileo mare out of a Danehill mare. Pascal Bary’s Kingman colt Feed The Flame comes here unbeaten in two conditions races and has been attracting all the money this morning (he was supplemented to the field) and it is impossible to assess Christophe Soumillon’s mount on the form of beating just ten rivals. Jean-Claude Rouget’s unbeaten Cracksman colt Ace Impact won the Listed Prix de Suresnes last time at this track but again that form tells us very little although the runner up was previously fourth in the Prix de Fontainebleau, so the form lines tie up with the Poulains indirectly. So I expect Big Rock to try and make all. With the small field there do not look to be any excuses to be had from the draw but I am taking him on with the Poulains winner MARHABA YA SANAFI, who I think is overpriced with the bookies (14/1 four places with Bet365). It would not be a surprise if Continuous featured in the finish as the O’Brien colts often come on for their first run.
Anglers landing is interesting in the 445 not won on turf yet and i dont think they know where to put Anglers , i am sure they will go close today in a race that looks weighted . Egan looks a positive booking i did take 5s earlier but the 4s still look fair
